The present invention relates generally to stump grinding teeth, and more particularly to an assembly that facilitates the mounting of a stump grinding tooth to a grinding wheel.
Stump grinders are well known in the art. Typically, the grinder comprises a wheel mounted by an axle to a motor. A plurality of cutting teeth are affixed about the periphery of the wheel, and include cutting tips, typically composed of carbide or similarly hard substances, brazed thereon. While rotating at high speeds, the wheel is traversed in a sideways motion relative to a tree stump with the teeth cutting into and grinding the stump. Continuously moving the wheel across the stump results in the teeth generally grinding the stump into chips.
While the wood generally degrades the edge of the cutting bits, oftentimes they come into contact with foreign objects embedded in the wood, such as rock, nails, or other hard substances. The impact with these objects accelerates the degradation of the cutting bits. Once the edge is worn beyond an acceptable limit, the tooth or teeth must be changed.
Traditionally, changing the teeth required the operator to use a drill or other tool to remove bolts that fasten a pocket to the wheel. The teeth, in turn, are clamped to the wheel by the pockets. This process is laborious, and with conventional teeth, the entire tooth has to be discarded and replaced with a new tooth. Thus, in addition, to the downtime associated with changing the teeth, the teeth themselves raise the expense associated with the grinding operation.
It is therefore a principal object and advantage of the present invention to provide a tooth assembly that reduces the labor associated with having to change a tooth on a grinding machine.
It is another object and advantage of the present invention to provide a tooth assembly that permits cutting bits to be replaced as opposed to having to replace an entire tooth, thereby lowering the cost to the lowest consumable.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious, and in part appear hereinafter.